For many years lactic acid bacteria have been used for increasing the shelf life of food products. During fermentation the lactic acid bacteria produce lactic acids and other organic acids thereby reducing the pH of the food product making it unfavorable to the growth of unwanted microorganisms, such as pathogenic bacteria, yeasts and fungi.
Additionally, some lactic acid bacteria also produce metabolites with antimicrobial activity.
US Patent Application no. US2011/0045134 relates to the use of Lactobacillus paracasei for imparting antifungal properties to a fermented dairy product.
European Patent Application no. EP1442113 is directed to mixtures of Propionibacterium jensenii and Lactobacillus sp., such as Lactobacillus paracasei, with antimicrobial activities for use for bioprotection.
However, there is a still a need for bioprotective agents with an improved antifungal effect as single strains or in combination with other bioprotective strains.